Becoming 'The Monk': Rex Ryan on playing Gerry Hutch on stage (Part 1)
episodePreviously titled “Episode 1320: Becoming 'The Monk': Rex Ryan on playing Gerry Hutch on stage (Part 1)” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 3, 2026
Transcript
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
And also the image of seeing the man in the cell that I had seen happily walking around Clontarf when I was a kid. Again, it was a smash of reality.
Yeah.
Of all the things that people talk about in the pub, the series we watch, all these things, and that was just a real moment of, ah, people do die, people do go to prison. There are consequences, even for people that you knew. Yeah.
What childhood memories does Rex Ryan share about Gerry Hutch?
I'm Nicola Tallent and this is Crime World, a podcast about criminals, drugs and the sins of the underworld. If you like this podcast and want to learn more about crime, go to our new website www.crimeworld.com for stories, extras and podcast subscriber specials.
Rex Ryan remembers having a bit of banter with Gerry Hutch outside the local shop when he was just a kid growing up in Clontarf. But now, more than two decades later, the actor-director is playing the alleged crime boss in his one-man show The Monk. Today I'm speaking to Rex about talking to Gerry Hutch in prison, the controversy over the play and the public's endless fascination with The Monk. I'm Niall Donald and this is Crime World, a podcast from crimeworld.com. modern-day criminal godfather.
If I start talking now, I don't know what the fuck is gonna happen. I'm not letting it go. People, they start grabbing at me. They're pulling me down. Everyone's pushing me down. The joy was fine. I had no problems in there. Of course, it got dicey sometimes. Growing up where I did, you either got into... But not a convicted armed robber. Doesn't wash with you. It washes with me. Not a convicted drug dealer. Not a convicted... No. I told her not to worry. That I was getting a new pair of runners. Do you have these little wheels on them and a little engine? So you never get caught.
We was caught. We done lots of crimes. Some of them I got away with.
Now a job like that is no different to a movie. Do you understand? Same ingredients. Rehearse, plan, repeat. Don't just have plan B. You have to have plan C, D, E, F, G and the fucking rest. Plan fucking Z. Do you think I wanted this? But as I said lads. We wasn't there.
So in November 2022, me and Nicola sat regularly in her car and reported from the special criminal court where Jerry Hutch was on trial. And of course, many people thought at that point he was going to be found guilty. Then a couple of years later, we had him in where you're sitting doing an interview, which many people thought would never happen. And now we have yourself, Rex Ryan, sitting in that seat, playing Gerry Hutch in a one man play you've produced, which I think many people never would have envisaged making the theatre. It's still an incredible story, isn't it? The story of Gerard Hutch.
How did Rex Ryan transition from actor to director for 'The Monk'?
Tell us how the idea came about. And of course, you lived, you're his neighbour. I suppose, what was your first memory of the monk? He was Mr. Hutch.
Yeah. Outside the spa.
Was he?
Yeah. I was a young lad and didn't really have any understanding of the fame or the infamy. Yeah. I didn't have any understanding of his past, any of that stuff. Probably much like my own family too. I didn't really... I wasn't cognizant of anything that was different. He was just the guy at the spa who would slag me a little bit. He once told me, he said, Rex, come over here. I said, what? And he said, you should get a new pair of runners. I said, why? And he goes, so you never get caught. Right. So he had pinged me as someone, as a bit of a messer. And I knew they were a Clontarf family, so they were around Clontarf. I knew the kids. Yeah. We'd all gone to the same schools and all that stuff. So... You know yourself, Niall, it wasn't a thing.
We weren't really aware of anything that was unique.
No. I mean, yeah. I mean, you would have probably heard the monk, but not known why he was... Thought he was a priest.
Thought he was a stylish priest. Yeah. But the monk didn't really resonate and we didn't know what it was. And then, of course, as you grow up, you start hearing the stories.
Yeah.
I'd understand that it was a little bit different.
What challenges did Rex face in getting Gerry Hutch's approval for the play?
As again, for my own family, I wasn't really interested in fame or any of that stuff.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:26
2
What childhood memories does Rex Ryan share about Gerry Hutch?
0:26–3:01
3
How did Rex Ryan transition from actor to director for 'The Monk'?
3:01–4:39
4
What challenges did Rex face in getting Gerry Hutch's approval for the play?
4:39–4:43
5
How does Rex Ryan describe his first meeting with Gerry Hutch in prison?
4:43–8:57
6
What themes does Rex explore in his one-man show about Gerry Hutch?
8:57–11:05
7
How does Rex link his personal experiences with Gerry Hutch's story?
11:05–18:27
8
What societal issues does Rex highlight in the context of Gerry Hutch's life?
18:27–30:24
Speakers
4 identifiedMore from Crime World
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